Thursday, January 23, 2014

XO - Beyoncé

Song: XO

Artist: Beyoncé
Album: Beyoncé

Have you heard of Beyoncé?

After a solid year of her fanbase not knowing what was happening with new Beyoncé music, "Queen B" dropped a "secret" album on iTunes at Midnight on December 13th complete with videos for every track on the album (as well as a video for the leaked "Grown Woman" which ultimately didn't make the record.) It was an interesting way to get around the expectations that come with a new Beyoncé album (especially after the relative disappointment 4) which gave her the freedom to be a bit different. Turn down the perfect, turn up the sexy, and to hell with the bobblehead music... Beyoncé has grown up. And Beyoncé is the best thing she's ever done.

Beyoncé is Beyoncé's sexual awakening record, and it's secret weapon is unknown producer Boots whom co-wrote and shapes the sound of almost 80% of the album with his production talents. It continues the Adult Contemporary sound started with 4 and mixes it with the urban-hip of Weeknd/Frank Ocean sheen. Things take a dip for the boring in the middle of the album, but it starts and ends with her strongest material (by some margin) to date.

She does a bit of Madonna sexy-electronica on "Haunted" and urban slow-grind with her husband assisted "Drunk in Love." The filth gets turned up with the album's most "fun" moment "Blow," and with "XO" Beyoncé gives us her best song ever, a positively euphoric ode to love that truly sores in a way a track like the ultimately false "Halo" could only dream of. Dang girl... literally had no idea you had this in you.